The Bucs have had a very disappointing start to the season.

There is no sugarcoating that.

A Week 5 win over the Cowboys injected some life into the team, but despite the defense keeping them in Sunday’s game, the offense’s poor play let a victory slip away. Now, they sit at a dismal 1-5 after losing 26-19 to the Steelers. Here is what was most disappointing in Week 6.

OC Zac Robinson

This is becoming a weekly writeup.

Zac Robinson avoided criticism for a little over a week, but it should return in full force now. From the start, Tampa Bay’s offense struggled to get anything going. Robinson’s early-game play sequencing is an obvious issue, as the play calls don’t flow or get anyone into a rhythm. Instead, the offense reverted to fighting for every yard. Rather than pushing the ball vertically, play designs center around short gains.

Bucs QB Jalon Daniels and OC Zac Robinson – Photo by: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite brief glimpses of promise, the offense has severely underwhelmed. There is no reason why this should have remained a close game given how well the defense played in limiting points. You know what, just for fun, here is the drive-by-drive breakdown:

Punt
Punt
Field Goal
Touchdown
Punt
Field Goal
Punt
Field Goal
Punt
Interception
Punt
Interception
Field Goal
Turnover On Downs

If nothing else tells the story, this does. It is not a smooth operation.

QB Jalon Daniels

Jalon Daniels limited mistakes and was on track to a solid game — until the fourth quarter.

Bucs QB Jalon Daniels – Photo by: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was crucial that he limited turnovers, but his two interceptions were costly and allowed the Steelers to take the lead for the first time with 1:21 left in the game. Daniels has filled in just about as admirably as an undrafted rookie could under the circumstances, but he struggled to make much happen this time. He finished the game completing 22 of his 43 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown with his two picks.

DT Calijah Kancey

Calijah Kancey continues to be one of the Bucs’ biggest disappointments in 2026.

Not only did Kancey miss a chance to record his first sack early in the game, but he was called for a consequential roughing the passer penalty in the fourth quarter. Rather than it being second-and-10, his poor awareness hitting Aaron Rodgers late gave the Steelers a free 15 yards to put them in the red zone in what amounted to a touchdown drive. He is not the same player who led the team in sacks in 2024.

Far from it.

Baffling Bucs Wide Receiver Usage

This extends from the previous point made above. How Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. are being utilized is nothing short of baffling. While it’s encouraging to see Egbuka get 16 targets, that only resulted in seven catches for 48 yards. Godwin had eight targets, equating to four catches for 37 yards. Neither wide receiver is averaging more than 10 yards per catch this season. What’s up with that?

Bucs WR Chris Godwin Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Zac Robinson’s offense has turned much of the passing game into dink and dunks with the occasional deep ball. That is a complete disservice to the wide receiver room. There are way more questions than answers.

Bucs Offensive Line, Especially In Run Game

Bucky Irving couldn’t do much against the Steelers’ front seven, which falls back more on the offensive line than him. Irving had little room to run, and there weren’t any holes created. His most explosive run was for 13 yards, an instance where he cut back from the original plan. He was forced to improvise but couldn’t do it all.

Pittsburgh has a stout defensive front with plenty of name recognition, and they got the better of the Bucs in the trenches which prevented them from establishing the run.

P Riley Dixon

It was a windy afternoon with the temperature cooling off in Tampa Bay, but that does not excuse Riley Dixon’s poor punting. Dixon’s first punt of the game went a measly 28 yards, which allowed the Steelers to start at Tampa Bay’s 44-yard line. That’s a good way to lose the field position battle early on. The rest of his punts were equally as disappointing, as he averaged just 40.8 yards per punt across six punts.